The next morning, before the morning mist had dispersed and a thin frost still carpeted the ground, a commotion gradually rose outside the Daoist temple.
A burst of barking came with the chaotic sound of footsteps on the mountain path.
Vaguely, more than ten mountain villagers could be seen climbing over the wooded slope. They carried hoes, woodcutting blades, and hunting bows, with several fierce mountain dogs following behind them. Their faces were tense, fear flashing in their eyes, yet they forced themselves to remain calm as they pressed closer to the Daoist temple step by step.
"Right here!" a red-faced man growled, his eyes full of vigilance. "My little boy came home with a fever yesterday. He said he saw a huge beast, bright red all over with demonic light in its eyes, lying right in front of this mountain temple. It even spoke human words!"
"My girl too. She was too scared to sleep, had nightmares all night, and said that beast was grinning at her and calling her an idiot!"
"This place... there may really be trouble here!"
"Kill the demon! We can't let this monster plague the mountains any longer!"
An older mountain villager raised his heavy hunting bow, his voice trembling but resolute. "I heard that many years ago, demons once brought disaster upon villages. We cannot let history repeat itself!"
The crowd answered in agreement, and the atmosphere suddenly tightened.
At that moment, outside the Daoist temple gates.
Little Scarlet was still sprawled lazily on the ground, his hoof propping up his head. His sparkling lion eyes stared at the crowd as the corners of his mouth slowly curled up, revealing two sharp fangs.
"Oh? Everyone came so neatly today." His voice was lazy as he yawned.
"Damn it—!" One timid villager was so